The 5:2 Diet Thread number 19! Cup of tea? or three?

The continuing thread for those of us following either the 5:2 diet or the alternate-day fasting diet.

The 5:2 diet was featured on Horizon in August 2012, and essentially requires you to fast for 2 non-consecutive days per week. The other 5 days, you can eat what you like, or approximately your TDEE (see explanation below). Alternate-day fasting is just how it sounds; you fast every other day. By "fasting", we mean that we keep our calorie consumption very low, around 500 calories on average for a woman, 600 for a man, on those days.

You'll find on these threads we use a number of acronyms. If you're new to the threads, or Mumsnet in general, they might not make much sense.

WOE/WOL = Way Of Eating/Way Of Life. We use this term instead of "diet" as many of us see this as something to do in the long term.

MFP = My Fitness Pal, a website many use for keeping track of the number of calories they're eating.

TDEE = Total Daily Energy Expenditure, quantifies the number of calories you burn in a day. This measure is best estimated by scaling your Basal Metabolic Rate to your level of activity. TDEE is critical in tailoring your nutrition plan to desired fitness goals. Here is a link to a calculator to help you figure out how many calories you should be eating in a day.

ADF = Alternate-day Fasting, as it says on the tin, fasting every other day rather than 5:2.

Michael Mosley has a website to accompany his new book on the subject. Please go check them out, as he's the whole reason most of us are here!

I know a number of people lurk on this thread, as this is currently quite popular. Please just jump in and post if you're new- you'll find a lot of support here.

Here is a list of links to get you started with this way of eating. Please let us know if you find a new article or some other information online:

Another thread which breadandwine has started is a good resource for some of the links and tips that get lost in these big threads. In addition to sharing links, we try to condense some of our top tips for fasting there. Keep in mind, we all do this differently, so these are just tips, not rules. This might be a good place to catch up with us if you're feeling a bit lost!

frenchfancy has a recipe thread over here, please post any low-calorie recipes there so they don't get lost in these bigger threads!

If you've been at this a while and are moving on to maintaining your goal weight, there is a thread here to discuss that.

Here is the link to the BBC article regarding Michael Mosley's findings, which was featured on Horizon.

A blog post here gives some of the scientific explanation for why this way of eating helps you to not only lose weight, but improve your all-around health.

A Telegraph article which comments on the diet and gives a brief overview by Dr Mosley himself, very informative if you're just starting. (I highly recommend this for an overview)

A study discussed here gives commentary specifically addressing the effect of this diet on obese people (both men and women), with regard to both health and weight loss. ("After 8 weeks of treatment, participants had an average 12.5 lbs reduction in body weight and a 4 cm decrease in waist circumference. Total fat mass declined by about 12 lbs while lean body mass remained relatively constant.) it also mentions "Plasma adiponectin, a protein hormone that is elevated in obesity and associated with heart disease, dropped by 30%. As did LDL cholesterol (25%) and triglycerides (32%).")

Something to consider if you are currently your ideal BMI: this appears to suggest the benefits for women at a lower BMI might not be seeing the same health benefits that are found on men at their ideal BMI.

A BIG THANK YOU to all who have been contributing, btw. Most of us are learning this way of eating as we go along. All of the links above have been posted by others in our previous threads, and they've been very helpful. Sorry if I haven't given credit where it's due, but it was just enough of a job getting all the links re-copied and back into one post.

Hi there people...just checking in, my strange gypsy life (until we head away in July) not good for computer access.

Wanted to say that I had at first reacted badly to TIP's decree that 'nobody over 5'4" should ever weigh over 9 stone...but having gone back and re-read all that I can see what was meant and no longer feel offended! (I am 5'2" and currently weigh exactly 62kg - down from 83kg at the start.)

TIP is right: we have become used to people (ourselves and others) being lazy/careless about eating, and 'wearing' the results.

This new WOL that so many of us are adopting (and I am delighted so many are - it seems to be becoming a hundredth-monkey type thing) is forcing us to face the truth about what we are eating and how it does/has affected our bodies.

Sure, I may feel 'proud' to have emerged from beneath my layers of fat. But I am more horrified at myself for accepting that for so long.

The way I feel now, after six months on 5:2, is so extraordinarily vibrant and healthy by comparison to how I was...I mourn all those half-lost years!

But no matter. I'm here NOW and it's just great. LL has been with me all the way: he too has lost practically all his weight and is enjoying the benefits as much as I am.

Hi everyone - back on the Fast Diet after a 2 month break (where I seem to have put on all the weight I lost, if not more .

Well we are are due to leave for a last minute break on sunnier shores in 3 weeks (shhh, don't tell the school!) and am hoping that I can lose a reasonable amount of weight if I stick rigidly to the plan.

does anyone have any suggestions/tips for quick weight loss on this plan? Would 4:3 help kick start things? Am only looking at about 8 pounds, so hoping this would be achievable, combined with some proper exercise? Cannot bear the thought of shoe horning my way into my cozzie the way I am at the mo pigs wrestling in a sack spring to mind! .

realise 3 weeks is a really short time frame but would be great if i could at least shift some weight.

Hi again everybody! Yes I am still here...just been extremely busy and not much access to a computer, as was expected. We are all booked & paid to fly to Buenos Aires at the beginning of July! So exciting, and so much to do before then.

Meanwhile I have stuck with 5:2 all the way. Despite not having weigedh myself for the last month I feel I have lost a couple more kilos. My jeans are now an easy (not at all tight) fit and I am enjoying a much more active life - have discovered that I can actually run, as I have not since I was a teenager!

To recap: I began 5:2 before last Christmas, weighing 83 kilos. By the start of April I was at 62 kilos (the marker between 'overweight' and 'healthy weight' for my height) and since then I have lost more, but need to weigh myself to check how much. I am happy being 60 or just under...but have decided to let my body decide for itself. I do feel wonderfully well - the reason I began 5:2 in the first place - and realise this is the body I had all along, just drowned in fat.

Do you 'overseas' readers know the difference in clothes sizes? Our NZ size 10 is a USA size 6...which is where I'm at, and going down. I have gone from a 2XL to S, or XS. From an NZ 14 or even 16 to an 8-10.(I now have trouble finding clothes small enough, My bra has gone from 16GG to 12DD. This is all fairly amazing to me, but seems par for the course when you get onto this WOL.

The greatest thing about 5:2 though is how healthy you feel, esp. (I believe) if yappy fastibg!ou concentrate on eating the best quality food you can. I certainly have never felt better than this in my entire so-called adult life. I wish I had discovered this years ago - but better late than never

Well folks, I have a crazy-busy schedule ahead but intend to remain reasonably calm & focussed. Will try to check in here when I can. However I plan to start writing a blog about my adventures building a house in Patagonia...will post the link here when I get it organised, of anybody is curious!

Well, third week of this WOL for me (today is my first fast day this week) and I'm trying not to lose the motivation.

It's usually about this point in any diet that I have a "slip" and reach for the chocolate and then become disheartened. But it seems to be a bit easier knowing that if I do slip, then I can change from 5:2 to 4:3 to stop myself feeling guilty.

I've had a cup-a-soup to try to stave off the hunger pangs and it seems to be working. Only another 4 hours until dinner time!

Hi all. I am really struggling to keep up with the thread as not online that much but still enjoying reading the posts than I can.

I have done a couple of weeks of 4:3 and my weight has dropped to 9st 10 so I have lost half a stone-woo hoo! Had a very social weekend and ate loads. Started a fast yesterday but had to stop as I had a pounding headache. Thought was going to be the same today but headache gone so I'm fasting.

TMI - awoman I think diarrhoea can sometimes happen until your body settles down a bit-I've had a few times when this has happened. I seem to be the other way now! Which, again, can be a side effect so I'm trying to up the fruit and fibrous foods.

emily I am the same on NFD-I seem to think I can eat whatever I want. I am more conscious of what I'm eating and don't always fancy it, but it's still not enough to stop me sometimes...

As this thread is almost full I've started a new one with links etc over here.

Just thought I'd get it done before heading out!

Again, if you've got new questions, stories to tell, comments etc, please take them to the new thread as they'll get lost at the end of this old one. Threads on Mumsnet close after 1000 post, hence our needing a new one.

Morning all. Fasting today, it may be a tough one after a fairly indulgent weekend with dinner out and cocktails on Saturday, and a trip to M&M world with the dc yesterday.

30 day squat challenge is still going, although I nearly forgot over the weekend and didn't do Saturday's until 10 to midnight so just scraped in. Eagle just jump straight back in with it.

Badcoc, how long have you been doing this? When I first started I would have soup for lunch (about 2pm), then some protein and veg for dinner (about5.30/6pm). Now I don't bother with lunch and just have dinner. But if you read through the threads we are all different, you have to work out what works best for you. Have you tried a marmite or boullion drink when you are struggling? I find they help a lot. Keep trying, you'll get there.

Fasting days are fine. I usually manage to eat nothing until a light supper of soup. Sometimes have apple and yogurt too. I get by the tough times by thinking"I can eat that tomorrow"

NFDs are more of a problem. I have better hunger awareness (is that a thing?) but I have developed a bit of "I can't eat that tomorrow (fasting day) so I'm going to east it all now" I can be mod ate with luxury treats like a couple of chocolate truffles or even a piece of lovely toast with honey, but in the evening I've recently had rubbish like extra cereal or a biscuit that I didn't really want.

So somebody please make me stop it. I have only lost half a pound this week, which doesn't really count.

Fasting today and coping well with the magical aroma of homemad bread toasting for dh and ds.Em

I spent the weekend eating badly as was with DD at a cheerleading and dance competition , spent a whole Sunday in a sports hall sitting watching routines ( had to eat a bar of fruit and nut and a strawberry cornetto to keep my strength up )

It should be a fast day today , but will do a soft fast  wholemeal toast for breakfast , bowl of salad for lunch , and chicken breast with loads of veg for dinner .